Case Studies

Business Challenge

Lipscomb needed a way to accurately track assets due to concerns that their pen and paper system could lead to injury of a firefighter or civilian.

Solution

Wasp MobileAsset has enabled Lipscomb Fire & Rescue to reduce the amount of time spent tracking and placing appropriate equipment on the trucks from approximately 1 hour per run to less than 20 minutes per run. In the case of an emergency they now know the equipment is there and where it is located on the truck.

Benefits

80% less time spent preparing trucks for missions

Customer Profile

Lipscomb Fire & Rescue is a non-profit, volunteer fire and rescue unit outside Birmingham, Alabama that provides fire protection and EMS services for the town of Lipscomb in Jefferson County. After each run, Lipscomb Fire & Rescue restocks their trucks with the necessary equipment to guarantee preparedness for the next emergency call. Among other valuable items, Lipscomb uses and tracks handsaws, hand tools, hose adaptors and emergency medical equipment.

Since we’re 100% volunteer, it is important for us to be efficient. And for safety purposes, it’s vital our equipment tracking be very accurate. If our tracking isn’t accurate, we aren’t able to provide the public safety services we are committed to provide.Jamie Pugh, Lipscomb Fire & Rescue

After each call, Lipscomb Fire & Rescue services their fire trucks with the necessary equipment to guarantee they are prepared for the next emergency. The expensive equipment they maintain for the provision of emergency response services includes handsaws, hand tools, hose adaptors and emergency medical equipment, among other valuable items.

Lipscomb Fire & Rescue used pen and paper to capture and record the equipment items necessary for each vehicle. The asset data would be transferred to their computer system in an attempt to account for all equipment. Due to this time-consuming, multi-step process, there was continually the concern that human error might intervene. Errors that could lead to firefighter or civilian injuries or to other problems that could threaten the execution of a mission.

“Tracking the equipment by hand was very time consuming,” says Jamie Pugh, liaison officer for Lipscomb Fire & Rescue. “Since we’re 100% volunteer, it is important for us to be efficient. And for safety purposes, it’s vital our equipment tracking be very accurate. If our tracking isn’t accurate, we aren’t able to provide the public safety services we are committed to provide.”

Clearing the Smoke

Lipscomb Fire Fighters are responsible for ensuring the appropriate equipment is on the trucks and ready for the next emergency call. He was regularly spending hours accounting for each piece of equipment by hand and then manually entering the data into the computer. Pugh knew an upgrade was necessary to the Lipscomb Fire and Rescue tracking system in order to save time and ensure the safety of the firefighters and civilians they were assisting.

“I opted to train myself and utilized Wasp’s web tutorials which led me through various procedures. It was simple, easy to understand, and I was confidently using the software in no time,” explained Hutchen. “There are now 5 employees who use the program daily and teaching them how to use it was painless.”

Putting the Fire Out

Since implementing Wasp’s MobileAsset in May of 2011, Lipscomb Fire & Rescue has experienced dramatic improvements in their equipment tracking process. The amount of time spent tracking and placing the appropriate equipment on the trucks has been reduced from approximately 1 hour per run to less than 20 minutes per run. “Since implementing Wasp MobileAsset, we have become safer, faster and more efficient,” explained Pugh. “And when there is an emergency, the firefighters now know the equipment is there and they know exactly where it is on the truck.”

The tracking system has been greatly simplified. Pugh printed barcodes for each piece of equipment. When he is taking inventory of all their equipment, he simply uses the Wasp barcode scanner
“We are very pleased with Wasp MobileAsset and the efficiency we have gained,” stated Pugh. “But we are most impressed with the friendly service we have received. Wasp stands behind their product and is always willing to help if we have any questions or need their assistance.”

Lipscomb has been using Wasp MobileAsset for a fairly short time but they have already experienced dramatic improvements to their tracking process, allowing them to continue to serve their community. “We will certainly be using Wasp Barcode Technologies for a long time,” said Pugh.

Wasp MobileAsset enabled Lipscombe Fire & Rescue to:

Use equipment with confidence during life-saving missions

Ensure each fire truck is stocked with properly maintained equipment and ready for the next emergency call

Spend less time preparing trucks for each mission

Since implementing Wasp MobileAsset, we have become safer, faster and more efficient. And when there is an emergency, the firefighters now know the equipment is there and they know exactly where it is on the truck.- Jamie Pugh, Lipscomb Fire & Rescue

Wasp provides asset, inventory, and time & attendance systems that are fairly priced, easily implemented, and ready-to-use after installation. Wasp listens to the needs of small business customers because of its passion to help each of those customers succeed.